Travel

Antarctica – Standing on the Bottom of the World is a riveting adventure travel (true) story told and presented with great impact in a new iPad app.

I can’t say I’ve ever been particularly fascinated with Antarctica (I even have difficulty spelling it correctly) but the promo approach I got for this app was good and highlighted a number of unique and compelling features of this particular story. The App Store intro gives you a feel for some of these:

Visting six continents is a feat, but setting foot on all seven requires a visit to Antarctica.Join award winning author (and member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame) Robert Flynn as he journeys, along with grandson Colin, to the last continent on earth, the last to be discovered and the last to be inhabited.. And, yes, there are penguins. And ice…lots of ice.Featuring maps, photos, links for more in-depth research, ANTARCTICA: STANDING ON THE BOTTON OF THE WORLD includes an original poem from Mo Saidi, sketches from Colin Bass and prose from Flynn, writing with the unique voice and perspective displayed in his novels through several decades. Essays on the Drake Passage, Hope Bay, Deception Island, Antarctica Tourism, Ushaia and more, with photos, maps, slides shows and links.

That’s a pretty great combination of selling points for this app – an awarding winning author, the grandfather and grandson team, and just the journey itself.

Stuck on Earth is a superb new iPad app that is touted as a ‘new kind of travel app’ and ‘the ultimate app for explorers, photographers, and daydreamers’. Both might seem like lofty claims for an app to live up to – but happily once you’ve spent even two minutes with this app, you’ll see that it does and goes well beyond that.

I’m not a photographer or much of an explorer, but I am a frequent daydreamer and whenever I’ve had a chance to travel I’ve enjoyed it immensely. Although I’m a complete clod when it comes to photography, I enjoy seeing great photography – especially photos of places. And that’s what Stuck on Earth is all about.

When I think about things I’d like to do with my life, or things I would love for my daughter to do with hers, travel features heavily on any list I come up with. There are so many incredible places to visit around the world.

National Geographic’s 50 Places of a Lifetime app for the iPad provides an excellent look at fifty destinations all around the world that offer a once in a lifetime sort of experience. They range from big, famous cities to some of the earth’s most remote (and beautiful) spots. So this one has instant appeal for me and for just about anyone with even the mildest of interest in travel. Let’s see how it does on living up to its promising subject …

Yahoo Sketch-a-Search for iPad is one of those apps you don’t see or hear mentioned much, or at least I haven’t. It’s also a heck of a good app – and one that more people should probably know about.

The app does something that many other iPad apps can help you with, but it does it in a unique, fun, and effective way. Here’s the App Store elevator pitch for it:

The perfect restaurant is a sketch away with the easiest way to find dining options on your iPad. With Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search, just use one finger to draw your search, and you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the results; conveniently located, based on where you want to go. Search by cuisine, ambience, or ratings; plus get the details, like reviews, price range, and driving directions, with one tap. Be inspired by the Discover feature, offering listings of unique searches–already packaged. Try Foodie Favorites in San Francisco, a Harvard Square Bar Crawl through Cambridge, or Top Bagels in New York.

FlightBoard is a single-purpose app for the iPad (and iPhone and iPod Touch) that provides live airport Departures and Arrivals information. So the app’s function is a simple but ever-so-useful one, particularly for frequent travelers. Here’s a little more about the app, via its App Store description:

Turn your iPhone or iPad into the Arrivals and Departures board for any airport in the world! FlightBoard lets you check out the boards of your favorite airports and view all the flight information in real-time. We used the board at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris as inspiration for the design so it has a beautiful, old school feel. Download FlightBoard and daydream about your favorite destination.